November 21, 2025

C-N falls in SAC semis to #15 Wingate

Eagles push the Bulldogs in each of the first two sets but fall in three in the second round of the conference tournament.

Carson-Newman

24-5,14-4 SAC

#15 Wingate

26-1,18-0 SAC

Final	1	2	3	T
Carson-Newman 24-5,14-4 SAC	14	21	15	0
#15 Wingate 26-1,18-0 SAC	25	25	25	3

VIDEO: Cat Collins Postgame

ROCK HILL, S.C. - Eagles push the Bulldogs in each of the first two sets but fall in three in the second round of the conference tournament.

The 5th-best defense in all of Division II showed out, pulling off an 80-dig effort to limit C-N to just 28 kills. There were bright moments for the Eagles, with a healthy lead in set two after causing seven errors from the Bulldogs, but the #1 seed in the conference pulled back each time.

Despite the loss in three sets, the Eagles were still fourth in the regional poll and have a great chance to make the tournament.

In set one, the Eagles kept things tight. C-N had the lead 8-7 before Emily Johnson went on a six-point run from the service line to cause a C-N timeout. Wingate and Carson-Newman would trade points from there until a service error from the Eagles would give Gabby Saye the go-ahead for two kills to end set one 14-25.

Carson-Newman struck early in set two, thanks to two errors from the Bulldogs for a 2-0 lead, and two more Wingate errors put the Eagles ahead 4-1. The Eagles used a kill from Dziczkowski to go up 8-5 when Maya Van Heyst caused chaos from the service line, throwing C-N out of system and taking a 10-8 lead. Johnson would take over again from the line to push Wingate out to a 17-11 lead. Emerson Ahsmuhs and Raychel Ehlers notched kills to respond, but Wingate cut them off, taking set two 25-21.

Set three, Wingate wanted to close the door. Hailey Green landed two service aces on the Eagles to put Wingate up 7-2. Blair Cherry and Ahsmuhs continued to land kills, but Wingate had control, taking the final set 25-15.

Maya Van Heyst was unstoppable for Wingate, landing a triple-double with 10 kills, 31 assists, and a team-leading 21 digs. Sydney Moreland and Emily Johnson both grabbed 11 kills each, while four different Bulldogs generated ten or more digs.

For Carson-Newman, Raychel Ehlers landed a team-leading 7 kills to go along with 19 digs. Ahsmuhs notched six kills with 11 digs while Dziczkowski matched her with six slams. C-N held the Bulldogs to their 6th-lowest hitting percentage of the season.

This is the fifth loss of the season for Carson-Newman and snaps a six-game winning streak while the #15 team in the nation extends their streak to 26 wins.

The Eagles will await the results of the NCAA Division II volleyball selection show at 7:30 PM on Monday, November 24^th.